The invention pertains to golf clubs. More particularly, the invention pertains to golf club constructions having improved directional accuracy and impact performance characteristics.
A golf club generally includes two major parts, i.e., a club head which provides a ball striking face, and a shaft having one end adapted to provide a gripping location and an opposite end attached to the club head.
People have long sought to improve golf club performance to facilitate hitting golf balls longer distances and with greater directional accuracy. Recent improvements in the technology of golf club design and configuration include the use of metals or epoxy reinforced carbon fibers as materials for constructing "wood" heads, and using epoxy-carbon fiber composites as materials for constructing club shafts.
Some recent designs incorporating the above improvements have resulted in clubs capable of hitting a ball longer distances. However, such results are generally viewed as being somewhat inconsistent. Notwithstanding such inconsistency, the achievement of the longer flight distance is generally credited to the use of high rigidity materials in constructing modern golf clubs.
The rigidity of a material is often expressed by its "Young's Modulus" In general, the greater the Young's Modulus of the materials used for constructing golf clubs, the greater will be the distance travelled by &:he ball (hereinafter referred to as "flying distance"). This results from greater power transfer being achieved from the club to the ball through use of the high rigidity materials.
In contrast, however, many club designers believe that increased flying distance results, not only from high rigidity materials, but from an increased freedom of designing the overall configuration of the club. This increases in club design freedom results, in great part, from the materials employed, particularly epoxy-carbon fiber composites. Since carbon fiber composites possess much higher rigidity and lower density than steel, for example, a club designer has more freedom when using such composite materials to distribute the weight of the club to critical points, such that the club can generate maximum power upon impact with the golf ball.
However, as is well-recognized by golf enthusiasts, the new light-weight, carbon-fiber shafts (including those incorporating expensive and specialized metals such as boron) often exhibit torque or twisting of the club head relative to the shaft on down-swing and particularly at ball contact. Thus, although the carbon-fiber shaft clubs offer some weight and design configuration advantages over steel shaft clubs, the carbon fiber shaft clubs are generally recognized as being somewhat difficult to control. As is well-known, the inability to control the club head leads to poor accuracy and diminished flying distance.
Thus, although there have been some recent improvements in golf club design and technology, the performance of modern golf clubs can still be improved to further increase flying distance and accuracy characteristics.
It is therefor an object of the invention to provide a golf club which is able to achieve increased flight distance performance.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a golf club which provides increased control over the club shaft and head.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a golf club which enables greater ball control and accuracy.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a golf club which has both improved ball flying distance and accuracy characteristics.